This is Beirut

One Million Syrian Refugees Returned from abroad Since Assad Fall

This is Beirut, 24/09 21:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

One million Syrian refugees have returned from abroad since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last December, the United Nations said Wednesday, urging more support to allow others to follow. "In just nine months, one million Syrians have returned to their country following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government on 8 December 2024," ...

Al-Sharaa Hopes for Security Deal with Israel, Downplays Normalisation

This is Beirut, 22/09 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa Israel

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, voiced hope Monday for a security deal that eases tensions with Israel, but he played down the prospect of recognition. Sharaa, a former jihadist whose forces toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December, met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He will ...

The Path to Peace Is Underway

This is Beirut, 21/09 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Hezbollah Syria Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration on Sunday that peace with Lebanon and Syria is now “possible” may be the most consequential statement on regional diplomacy in years. Coming after decades of hostility, wars, and missed opportunities, the prospect of reconciliation with Israel’s northern neighbors is ...

Peace with Syria and Lebanon Is on the Way...

This is Beirut, 21/09 16:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Syria Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah has created the opportunity of peace with Lebanon and Syria. “Our victories in Lebanon against Hezbollah have opened a window of opportunities that was unimaginable before our recent operations; there is a possibility of peace with our ...

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Heads to US to Address UN General Assembly

This is Beirut, 21/09 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ahmed al-Sharaa United States UN General Assembly Syria New York

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa departed for the United States, state media reported Sunday, on a landmark trip that will see the former jihadist address the United Nations General Assembly. State television said Sharaa was en route "to the United States of America to participate in the affairs of the 80th session of the United Nations General ...

IS Leader Killed in US Airstrike in Syria

This is Beirut, 19/09 22:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Islamic State United States Syria

American forces carried out a raid in Syria on Friday, killing a senior operative from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, the US military said. "Omar Abdul Qader was an ISIS member actively seeking to attack the United States," the military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, using an alternate acronym for IS. "His death ...

UN Syria Envoy Geir Pedersen Resigns After Seven Years in Post

This is Beirut, 18/09 21:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Geir Pedersen Syria United Nations

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen announced Wednesday that he is resigning “for personal reasons” after nearly seven and a half years in the post. Speaking before the UN Security Council, the Norwegian diplomat said he was “deeply indebted and deeply grateful to the Syrian people, who have shown extraordinary courage and humanity ...

Syria to Strike Security Deals with Israel by End of 2025

This is Beirut, 18/09 17:08 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Syria Damas

Syria expects to finalize security and military agreements with Israel this year, an official said Thursday, in what would be a breakthrough less than a year after Bashar al-Assad's ouster. With the United States pushing for a settlement between the two neighbors, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Washington to discuss talks with ...

Syria FM Heading to US, a First in 25 Years

This is Beirut, 18/09 11:15 - Reading : less than a minute

United States Washington Syria Assad al-Shaibani

Syria's foreign minister is heading to Washington on Thursday, a foreign ministry source rold AFP, in the first such visit in more than 25 years. "Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani will travel to Washington to discuss the lifting of the remaining sanctions," the source said, requesting anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the ...

Buffer Zones and Broken Red Lines: Israel’s New Security Architecture in Syria and Lebanon

Salam El Zaatari, 18/09 11:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Israel Peace United States Donald Trump Hezbollah

For decades, Israel and Lebanon have lived under a paradox: perpetual hostility punctuated by temporary ceasefires. The 1949 Armistice created quiet without peace until the Lebanese state allowed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to operate from its south in 1969. That decision transformed southern Lebanon into a launchpad for attacks on ...

Al-Sharaa: Syrian Security Talks with Israel Could Yield Results "in Few Days"

This is Beirut, 17/09 23:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa Israel

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday that ongoing security talks with Israel could produce results “in the coming days,” describing a security agreement as a “necessity.” Al-Sharaa added that if the security deal succeeds, it could pave the way for “other agreements,” but emphasized that “peace and normalization” with ...

Thousands of Syrian Kurds Rally for Decentralization

This is Beirut, 17/09 16:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Kurds Syrian Democratic Forces

Thousands of people in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria rallied Wednesday in support of their autonomous administration and called for decentralization as negotiations with Damascus over the region's future stall. Damascus and Syria's Kurds have been in talks to integrate Kurdish civil and military institutions into the central government ...

Syria